


Last line of defence

by Taeyn



Series: I have loved the stars too fondly [8]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pneumonia, Sickfic, Team as Family, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-07
Packaged: 2019-09-16 16:26:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16957488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taeyn/pseuds/Taeyn
Summary: “I just want it noted, for the record,” James croaks, his voice slightly muffled by a cotton facemask. “That Rizavi is a menace.”“Roger that, Team Leader,” Rizavi grins, kicking her boots over the side of her bunk as Kinkade dryly raises an eyebrow at the both of them.“You do sound better though,” Leifsdottir says thoughtfully, and James covers his mask with his hand as he laughs at Rizavi’s airy triumph, the exertion predictably turning into a desperate fit of coughing.





	Last line of defence

**Author's Note:**

> A 12-days-of-whumpmas thingy, James is sick (recovering) from pneumonia and the rest of the MFE team are there.  
> Rated T for gratuitously affectionate cursing!

“I just want it noted, for the record,” James croaks, his voice slightly muffled by a cotton facemask. “That Rizavi is a menace.”

“Roger that, Team Leader,” Rizavi grins, kicking her boots over the side of her bunk as Kinkade dryly raises an eyebrow at the both of them.

“You do sound better though,” Leifsdottir says thoughtfully, and James covers his mask with his hand as he laughs at Rizavi’s airy triumph, the exertion predictably turning into a desperate fit of coughing. He does make it through without feeling like he’ll pass out for lack of oxygen though, which is more than he can say for the last few days.

“Bless,” Kinkade offers, because he knows Griffin hates it and loves him enough to still give him grief. “Rizavi, who’d you do your advanced med training with? I don’t think whacking Griffin around was covered in any of my units.”

“Go to hell,” the Griffin in question grins, then gratefully accepts both of Leifsdottir’s outstretched arms as he doubles-over with more coughing, lets her gently pull him upright as he tries, you know, not to die before he can say I love you too.

“The chest PT? Actually, I learned that one from my mom,” Rizavi says offhandedly, her slight smirk and a roll of her eyes not quite enough to read like she doesn’t miss them. “Family of doctors, ya know? We took Operation board game nights _very_ seriously.”

“And… also all other board game nights,” Leifsdottir teases, preemptively setting a hand between James’s shoulders as she quirks a smile at her more competitive co-pilot. “Remember when you said James’s foot wasn’t on the green circle during Twister, and then-”

“ _It was on the green circle!_ ” James jumps in, all weariness blasted from his voice as he beats Rizavi to arguing the opposite. “By _every_ interpretation of _every_ _rule_ , I was well within-”

“I am... so glad I met you guys _after_ junior cadet training,” Kinkade says flatly, Leifsdottir grinning as Rizavi races through her datapad as if pursued by enemy fire, looking for the decisively embarrassing family-video evidence that James is pretty sure he conveniently renamed and rearchived some time ago.

“Sorry,” he says through a guilty laugh as Rizavi figures it out, and even tries to hold off his coughing for another few seconds so she can continue being amused and infuriated at him. “You can, uh, whack me a few more times if it’ll- ugh, hold on-”

James turns away from them despite the mask, coughing from the depths of his lungs and feeling- okay, he’ll admit it- more than a little self-conscious that they have to put up with it, even though he’s been cleared as non-contagious. He rallies for a few more affectionate insults as he turns back around, but his eyes are watering from the outburst and Leifsdottir hugs him softly instead, her voice humming against his chest as she asks if he’s alright. And then his eyes are watering worse and worse for no damn good reason at all, and Kinkade brings him a glass of water while Rizavi sits forward on her bunk, poised as if ready to fight-off the last of his illness herself.

Or… yeah, probably hit him on the back a few more times.

“So. I guess I do sound kind of better,” James jokes hoarsely, and Kinkade makes a sound that might have been concern, an incredulous snort, or anything in between.

“Just so we’re clear, you do realise you’re camping out in my spare bunk tonight, right?” Rizavi shrugs, somehow making this sound as much like a challenge as it does a ‘by the way, I fucking care about you’.

“I might… well, I don’t want to keep you up all night,” James mutters through a wheeze, Rizavi’s single raised eyebrow the only acknowledgement that not only could she sleep through a garrison-wide evacuation drill, she has, more than once, and the rest of the MFE pilots all know it.

“And if anything… my room’s cleaner,” James says gruffly, because it’s not like he didn’t know that she cares- that they all do... but hearing it isn’t doing anything for the fact that his throat still feels stupidly tight. He meets Leifsdottir’s gaze- has he even told her that she’s the one he looks to when everything else is going to shit? Or that he trusted Kinkade with his life way before the guy risked everything to come back for him, way before James even saw him smile. Or that Rizavi, for all their pushing each other to exceed their best, was the person who made him realise that being the best wasn’t actually what mattered, that he would give everything, in an instant, for his team.

“But my room has contraband games,” Rizavi says wryly, and she wriggles to shift the clothes next to her bed, a pile of cheesy board games that definitely shouldn’t have made it out of the 80’s carefully concealed beneath.

“And I take it back, we are clearly still in junior cadet training,” Kinkade mutters, and Rizavi laughs so unreservedly that he ends up cracking a smile too. James grins and raises a hand in a mock-salute, the rest of him shaky with exhaustion until Leifsdottir’s arm links steadily into his. And he wants to say he’ll fight for them till the end and back again if Sam Holt’s war ever comes, but they know, and they’re ready, and even if it’s just for a second, he can believe that they’ll win.

**Author's Note:**

> tysm for reading! comments & kudos are always adored and appreciated <3


End file.
